The Tear through Time
by Cynical Classicist
Summary: 11th in my series. The Time Lords send the Doctor to the planet Slonerto due to a rift in time...


""For your next mission you must stop a problem with a time rift on Slonerto." A short man in a bow tie looked at the Time Lord angrily. "You really shouldn't be pushing me around like this after all the help I've given you" he said. "There were some who wanted you executed" said the Time Lord. "I would say you got of reasonably light. Though you seem to have developed quite an angry personality." "I suspect you may have removed some of my memories on this" said the Doctor. "I remember something about Sontarans…and eating…" "If your memories are removed I'm sure there's a good reason for it" said the Time Lord. "You'll probably find out what happened eventually. But for the moment you must close the rift on Slonerto." "What happened?" said the Doctor. An image was brought up, of a small planet in a triple star system. "This is Slonerto. On it is a time rift." "Usually those work themselves out" said the Doctor. "Usually they do. This rift only goes through significant activity every few millenia" said the Time Lord. "But on one such period terrible disruption is happening to it. The locals are experimenting in a way that threatens to disrupt the planet's timeline." "That does sound bad!" said the Doctor. "Exactly. Thus we want you to go and stop the disruption. It shouldn't be too difficult for a Time Lord. Even one like you" said the Time Lord. The Doctor walked towards the TARDIS. "Got Jamie's memories under control?" he said. "Just perform the mission Doctor" said the Time Lord. "The coordinates are set. A telepathic emitter in the TARDIS will fill in the rest of the details as you travel." The Doctor entered the TARDIS, which dematerialised.

"Where are we going now Doctor?" asked Jamie. "Those Time Lords still making us do their errands?" "Well Jamie, unfortunately yes" said the Doctor, activating dematerialisation. "But I suppose it is all good work." The TARDIS jolted as it spun through the vortex. "Doctor, this isn't going to be like when we went to the Moon?" said Jamie, holding onto the rail. "Oh don't worry, I've gained some experience since then!" cried the Doctor as another ferocious shake of the TARDIS hurled him at the wall.

"At least the doors are closed" said Jamie. "Yes, that is something" said the Doctor. The TARDIS began materialising. "We seem to be here" said the Doctor.

They walked out onto a warm landscape. In the distance was a large metal building with a fence. "That's a big building Doctor" said Jamie. "Yes Jamie, it certainly is" said the Doctor. "That should be our destination." They started walking towards it. "Feels odd here Doctor" said Jamie. "Gravity is a little lower here then Earth" said the Doctor. He gave an experimental jump and moved about a foot into the air. "I'd say this world has about, half or three-quarters earth's gravity" he said. "Oh, that would be it!" said Jamie, trying to act like he understood. "So what are we searching for?" "A rift in time" said the Doctor. "What exactly would that be?" asked Jamie. "A sort of crack through time" said the Doctor. "Which things can come through from different times." "Oh aye!" said Jamie. "So how big is this…crack?" "About 2/5 of a mile" said the Doctor. "Then it shouldn't be too hard to find" said Jamie.

"They got to the fence. "It's locked Doctor!" said Jamie. "Not to worry" said the Doctor taking out his sonic screwdriver. "That little wand of yours should get us through" said Jamie. The lock clicked open. "After you Jamie" said the Doctor politely. Jamie walked through the gate, followed by the Doctor. "STOP!" said a loud voice. They turned to see a slim man over six and a half feet tall standing there pointing a gun at them. "Jamie, I think we had better do as he says" said the Doctor raising his hands, followed by Jamie. "Do you not know you are trespassing?" said the man, coming over. "Really? Well you could have put up a sigh…" "The gate was locked. There was a sign" said the Guard. "I must have missed it" said the Doctor. The Guard looked suspicious. "You are going to the Head of Security" he said. He opened a door and gestured inside. "In!" he said. "Not very friendly" said the Doctor. The gun was pointed at him again. "All right, I'm going in!" he said. He and Jamie walked in, followed by the Guard.

As they walked through the corridor a light began to flash and a loud beeping sound began. "Sounds like some trouble Doctor" said Jamie. "Yes, I think we might have found the source of the trouble" said the Doctor. There was a breaking glass sound and they heard someone yell "It's loose!" A roaring was heard. "Stay here" said the Guard, running round the corner. "Should we run or fight Doctor?" said Jamie taking out his knife. "Now Jamie" said the Doctor walking forward "I think we should first see…Oh my word!" They had turned the corner and saw the Guard trying to hold a door with a cracked window shut. On the other side was a two-headed reptilian creature about seven feet tall with tusks. "Quick! Hold the door!" said the Doctor. He and Jamie ran over and helped the Guard push the door shut. There was a hiss and a thick cloud drifted into the room. The creature, still banging on the door, was quickly overcome, and fell to the floor. "Air pump active" came a voice. The cloud cleared within a few seconds. "Room safe" said the voice. The Guard cautiously unlocked the door and walked in. Two other Guards came out of a door in the wall and carried the unconscious creature out of the room. The Doctor and Jamie entered the room. On the ground was a Guard with a large stain on his shirt and round his head. "Oh dear me" said the Doctor. "Did that beastie do this?" asked Jamie. "Yes" said the Doctor. "I think we've found the problem."

A bald man, shorter than the guard but taller than them, bald, wearing a blue coat and what looked like goggles, rushed out of a door in the wall. "Who are these people Officer 7?" he said. "Chief Scientist" said 7 nervously. "I found them wondering around…" began the Guard. "We are here…for an inspection of this property!" said the Doctor loudly. "But I wasn't told. And why didn't you…" "A test of security" said the Doctor. "And I'm glad to see you passed! No intruders could get in." "How can we be sure?" said the Chief Scientist. "Well, I'm guessing you are working with a time rift here" said the Doctor. "Something which opens for a short time every day. You have been working on it for the previous 26 days." "It seems you are here to inspect this" said the Chief Scientist. "I am Professor Wocud. Please, follow me in." He walked up the stairs. "Are you sure…" whispered Jamie. "Just play along Jamie. I'll sort this out, don't you worry" said the Doctor. "Come along Jamie." He walked after Wocud, and entered a glass screened room, looking into the room the monster had come from. 4 other men in blue coats were working there. The Doctor glanced into the room and saw 6 satellite devices. He turned back. "Could you just refresh my memory on what all this does?" he said.

"We are firing high-intensity beams of energy at the rift, breaking open the barrier" said Wocud. "This rift could be one of the greatest sources of energy on the planet." "What was that beastie?" asked Jamie. "A two-headed tusk beast" said Wocud. "A creature extinct for millions of years." "Millions?" said Jamie amazed. "Prehistory isn't a strong point for Jamie" said the Doctor quickly. "Well, sorry what was your name again?" said Wocud. "Doctor…John Smith" said the Doctor quickly. "And this is my assistant Jamie McCrimmon." Jamie shot a slightly angry glance at the Doctor but it soon subsided.

"So" said the Doctor clapping his hands together "I should probably see your notes on this." Wocud took out a thick file and handed it to the Doctor, who flicked through it quickly. "Hmmm, not that interesting, not much I didn't already know" he said, putting it back. He walked over to the controls. "I'm going to have to shut this whole project down" he said, walking to the controls. "What?" cried the horrified Wocud. He ran over and blocked the Doctor's way. "You can't do this!" said the Chief Scientist. "This could be the most important project in the world! The energy we are acquiring from this is incredible!" "But what else is coming through?" said the Doctor. "Different times…" Wocud waved it away. "A side-effect. We have guards, and are studying the creatures that come through. Who knows? We might even master time travel!" said Wocud. "Don't you think you might be jumping a little ahead of yourself?" said the Doctor. "Perhaps I am" said Wocud. "But the ultimate result is satisfactory. You are not shutting this project down."

"Well, that really is too bad" said the Doctor, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. "I think a bit of work is needed here." He began to use the sonic screwdriver on the controls, but there was a flash of sparks. "What have you done?" cried Wocud angrily, running at the controls. "Just" the Doctor thought for a moment "checking how it works." As Wocud examined the panel the Doctor turned to Jamie. "It appears we have a problem" he said. "Why can't you stop this?" asked Jamie. The Doctor moved to the side with Jamie and spoke quietly. "The rift is being torn open. However I can only close it properly if it is in an unstable state." He spoke loudly to Wocud. "I should think you're right about that rift. Let's open it up then!" "I thought you would see sense" said Wocud.

Wocud moved back to the controls. "Put on safety goggles" he said, giving the Doctor and Jamie a pair. As they put them on he gave an order. "Activate!" The scientists began to press buttons in what seemed a wild-sequence. The satellites were moved into position in the room. The satellites began to glow as powerful beams of energy began to strike the rift. The Doctor edged towards the controls, rapidly making calculations from the readings. "Let's see…" he muttered. "8.53 units per 3.14 times…That would thus mean that…" He walked over to the controls. "You're not going to try any more of that?" asked Wocud suspiciously. "Of course not!" said the Doctor quickly. "Just…examining this…" Wocud turned to another man in a blue coat, a younger man with a beard. "Professor Dunje, activate the energy extraction." Dunje pulled a large lever and the satellites began to glow red, extracting incredible amounts of energy, and giving of a hum of intensity. "Just this could produce enough energy for a day in largest city of Slonerto!" said Wocud. The Doctor moved at the controls. "Stop!" said Wocud commandingly as the Doctor examined the buttons. "If you touch the wrong thing you could kill us all!" "I'm certainly not trying to do that!" said the Doctor. "I just think you should slow down…" "Increase extraction 2 levels!" said Wocud to Dunje. "I can't do…" "You're not Chief Scientist! Do it!" said Wocud. Dunje pulled a few levers and the hum of intensity grew. "You see Smith" said Wocud after a few seconds. "It is fine…" There was an explosion that broke the glass.

"See what you've done!" snarled Wocud as 3 Guards rushed into the room. "Me? You were the one who increased intensity…" "You shouldn't have provoked me!" said Wocud. "You…You…Arrest him!" he cried at the Guards. "I think it's time we were going Jamie" said the Doctor, edging towards the screen as the Guards advanced. "Doctor! Look out!" said Jamie suddenly. The Doctor turned and saw something coming from a sudden mass of light. It was about a foot long and a dark orange, with six wings, eight legs, and a sting about as long as a finger protruding from its face. "What sort of wasp is this?" said Jamie. "Run Jamie!" said the Doctor as the insect-like creature shot towards them. But the creature, startled by their movement, struck the Doctor on the shoulder. The Doctor gave a yell and leant on the panel, clutching his shoulder. The eight-legged wasp buzzed round Jamie, who drew his knife. "Creag an tuirc!" he cried at the Wasp, giving a powerful stab. The Wasp tried to dodge but was caught on a wing. It fell to the floor and writhed about hideously. Jamie raised his knife again, but the wasp suddenly seemed to erupt into a ball of flame. Jamie looked round to see a Guard with a smoking gun.

"Jamie…" said the Doctor weakly from the floor. Jamie knelt down next to the Doctor, whose shoulder seemed to have swollen up and turned a nasty shade of red. "Susan…Where is Susan?" he asked. "Doctor, there isn't a Susan here" said Jamie. "Of course not Ben. Zoe can treat this…" said the Doctor. "He's delirious" said Dunje. "Get a doctor!" he said to a Guard. "I am the Doctor…" said the Doctor. "Jamie…" "Yes Doctor" said Jamie. "You might have to prepare yourself for a shock in a moment Polly" said the Doctor. "I might have to change…" "Here is the medical kit" said the Guard. Suddenly a beeping sound was heard. "Yetis!" cried the Doctor in horror. "No Doctor it's just…" Jamie looked around and saw more things leaving the rift.

Each of these creatures was metallic, worm-like, and over two feet long, with a ball-like head at one end and a smaller ball at the other. They poured through the rift. A Guard raised his gun but from the head of a creature a light shone and he stopped, becoming as a statue. The other guards fired at the creatures, but they weaved through the air like eels in water, too swift to be caught. The ball-tail struck another guard, electrocuting him and bringing him down. "Oh my giddy aunt!" said the Doctor. "We need to get away!" He pulled himself up with help from Jamie. He was sweating and his face his red, but he was trying to remain in his normal state of sanity. "What are those things Doctor?" said Jamie. "They must be from the future of this world!" said the Doctor. "We need to stop them!" 3 of the metal worms were burrowing into the control panel. The lights began to dim. "They're feeding on our power supply!" cried Wocud. He snatched a gun from a guard and ran at the worms. "Get out!" he yelled, not noticing one behind him. Its tail shot out, a hook flicking from it, and struck the Professor's neck. There was a flash of electricity and he fell to the floor.

Jamie held his knife as the worms swum towards the control panel, like fish after a huge mass of meat. "Medicine…" said the Doctor, falling over again. Dunje moved forward with the medical kit. The worms didn't notice him; they were too intent on breaking into the control panel. The lights continued to dim. Dunje injected the Doctor with something, which made him cough and retch. "Venom needs to be expelled" he said. "Thank the High Minds that a similar species evolved from the demon-fly!"

The Doctor stood up, still shaky, but more active than a human would be. "Right!" he said. "Now we need to close this rift!" "The power is going!" said Dunje, as the lights continued to flicker. "Not to worry!" said the Doctor, dodging another worm. "Where is your emergency power supply?" Dunje pointed through the door. They ran out, passing a worm gnawing through a wire. "If it bites through that wire we won't be able to get through the door!" said Dunje. The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver. "Let's hope it works this time!" he said. The creature stuttered about, writhing as the sonic blasts hit it. It turned towards them and sent a light at the Doctor, immobilising him. "Come on Doctor, you need to stop that beastie!" said Jamie, pulling at him. But the Doctor continued to stand there as the creature's tail moved towards him, the razor sharp point moving outwards. "Creag an tuirc!" cried Jamie loudly, striking the creature's tail. A powerful jolt went through his wrist, nearly breaking it. But the creature's tail was knocked away. Sensing the potential danger of Jamie it turned its light towards him, and the Doctor immediately used the sonic screwdriver. Again it writhed, and within a few seconds it collapsed to the floor. Dunje opened the door and they moved out./p

""Can't you destroy all those metal monsters with this weapon of yours?" said Dunje. "It's a sonic screwdriver" said the Doctor. "And if I did do that it could wreck all the machinery! I have a better idea." "You were showing us to the energy…" Jamie began. "Yes! Of course!" said Dunje, opening another door. They entered a room where there were scores of cylinders; each so large both hands would be needed. "Spare power" said Dunje. "A lot of it!" The Doctor examined the devices. "0.05 Units each" he said. He grabbed one. "Get as many as you can carry!" he said. Dunje and Jamie each picked up a cylinder, Jamie just managing to lift another. The lights began to flicker. "Run! Back to the lab!" said the Doctor. They ran back but stopped with the Doctor just outside the door. The Doctor began to work the cylinders together.

"Once he had finished he opened the door. "Excuse me there!" he said, rolling the cylinders in. "Some energy for you!" He pointed his sonic screwdriver at one of the barrels, and a crack appeared. All the worms swarmed towards it from the panel, feeding on the mass of energy. The Doctor continued to use his sonic screwdriver. "Just taking away some of the barriers" he said. "Like breaking a sieve. Should reach full level in about…6 seconds!" A few seconds after he said this there was a bang, knocking them from their feet. They rose and looked at the smoking remains of the metal worms. "Felt a bit less than that!" said Jamie. "Well, even a genius can get things wrong sometimes" said the Doctor, with a tone of smugness. He clapped his hands. "Now! Where was I?" "You were going to fix this…time rift" said Jamie. "Yes...that!" said the Doctor, running over to the panel to repair it.

"There was another surge from the time rift. "Oh No!" cried the Doctor as he examined the readings. "The feeding has disrupted it even more!" "What does that mean?" said Dunje. "History is leaking through here! A loose thread in the Web of Time!" said the worried Doctor. "If I don't re-attach it soon it will cause chaos throughout the planet's history!" "The Web of Time?" said Dunje. "What are you talking about?" "A rift is a gap in the Web" said the Doctor. "Of course there are gaps but manageable. But this is being ripped further open. The Tear through time of Slonerto needs to be stitched up now!"

They heard howling coming through the rift. Strange beings danced in its light, creatures without any familiar form, hideous eyes glared at them. Even the goggles left them barely able to see. 3 men, shorter than the Doctor and wearing skins, ran through brandishing clubs and pursued by a cat-like green beast the size of a sheep. "Oh dear!" said the Doctor as he tried to close the rift. "What am I to do?" Jamie grabbed one of the worms and hurled it at the small man, hitting him in the chest. The man threw it aside ran at Jamie with its club, but Jamie's knife and war-cry scared the man back. "That's right, that's right!" said the Doctor. "Send them back through! They should be drawn back to their own year!" Jamie waved his knife around and the men ran back through the rift, followed by the green cat. Briefly the edge of a forest was seen, with tall grass. Then the image collapsed.

"I need a time navigator… Where can I find one?" said the Doctor. "In the TARDIS?" said Jamie. "The TARDIS! Well done Jamie" said the Doctor. The rift fluctuated again. "But I have only a few minutes…" "If it is a time machine surely you have enough..." began Dunje, but the Doctor was already running out. "Hold down the green button! If the red light flashes turn the grey dial on the right but only when the light flashes!" he yelled. Jamie and Dunje set to work, but the red light kept flashing and cracks were now appearing in the facility. "Perhaps we should leave…" cried Dunje over the howling of the void. "I'm sure the Doctor will get here in time" shouted Jamie. "I'm sure of it!"

The wheezing groaning sound of the TARDIS began and the familiar blue box appeared. "Doctor!" yelled Jamie. "We can't manage this much longer!" The door opened and they heard the Doctor yelling "Just a minute! I'll be here soon…" There was a great burst from the rift, knocking the TARDIS over. "Don't worry! I'm on the side with the doors!" shouted the Doctor. He climbed out of the TARDIS, holding a long piece of advanced-looking equipment with a tube on each end and several dials on the front. He ran over to the panel and began connecting it with the wires sticking out. "I'm diverting all remaining power…now!" he shouted. He sent a powerful burst of energy through the wires, the lights all over the base going out as the satellites cracked from the strain like a web on fire. Smoke filled the room…and the rift closed.

"What am I supposed to tell the committee?" Dunje asked the Doctor as he and Jamie clambered back into the TARDIS. "Several Guards dead along with the Chief Scientist and the facility in shambles!" "Just tell them the experiment went wrong" said the Doctor. "And that the rift ended up closing itself." "But I can't lie…" "Say an unexpected source helped" said the Doctor. "Lots of things don't expect me!" Dunje glanced at the Doctor's shoulder. "What about your bite…" "We Time Lords may not get out much but we're tougher then you think" said the Doctor. "Time Lords?" said Dunje, but the doors closed and the dematerialisation sound began again as the TARDIS faded away, another mission by the Doctor completed.


End file.
